A 61-year-old Serbian man was on an airliner over Malta when one of the engines exploded. The debris shattered the window next to him and he was sucked out--partially. His wife and other passengers were able to grab his legs and hang on for five minutes while the pilot made an emergency decompression descent, after which the cabin pressure had equalized enough for them to pull him back in. He survived with minor injuries, and the plane landed safely.
Apparently, his having his seat belt fastened slowed down his being sucked out the window just long enough for his wife to grab him. It was also very good luck that this happened at 16,000 feet instead of the normal cruising altitude of over 30,000 feet; at that altitude, the pressure differential would have been much greater (airline cabins are normally pressurized to 8,000 feet), and he would have been sucked out completely.
I don't know what his build is, but I'm thinking, maybe it pays to be fat??
Sorta like hitting Megabucks...backwards. He'll definitely have a story to tell his grandchildren.
